Hen and Stag Do's

The Hen and Stag

Traditionally, hen and stag events were a last night of freedom style event – a one evening only, a single sex celebration organised by the best man and chief bridesmaids. This has evolved in recent years into an ever larger event, with some groups spending days abroad, heading to Prague or Las Vegas, and comprising of all sorts of sociable events from spa days and go karting to rather less family friendly ideas!

As the bride and groom, you are likely to have rather less control over this aspect than any other – but if you trust your best man or maid of honour, you can give them some pointers as to what would make your ideal evening or weekend.

Do tell them who will need to be on the guest list, and ensure that they choose activities accordingly. Some hens and stag choose to have separate events; say a meal or spa day for family and older relatives, and a more sociable evening out for friends; this can be on the same day, or if that is a lot to organise, then keep them completely separate. If you are having a joint one, do ask the organiser to bear in mind that your granny may not necessarily fancy an evening with the Chippendales! It makes sense to offer a shortlist of possible venues for the do – or at least a list of requirements according to location and suitability, budget and activity. It is a good idea to get these events organized earlier rather than later – your friends will want them to be interesting and memorable, and if it is left too late to book, may not turn out to be everything they had in mind.Stag do’s have long been notorious for ‘high jinks’, and a useful piece of advice is to make sure that it does not in fact take place on the traditional evening before the wedding – then hopefully the groom (and bride!) will be fresh and ready for the big morning, and should any unforeseen problems occur, they should have direct effect on the wedding itself. Again, entrust the planning to a trusted friend, and make sure that they are well aware of the boundaries of acceptable behaviour.If you are the one planning the party, then check out one of our event planners who will be able to help you to organize the event and make sure things go off without a hitch.